Chapter 54 Chapter 54 Flirting.
Just now I only sensed his presence vaguely, but now it is completely covering me.
The distance between the two was so close that Zhu Yinluan's heartbeat quickened.
I felt his gaze but didn't dare to meet his eyes.
Chen Jingzhan seemed to be sure of this. He leaned over and lowered his head until he was right under her eyelids. Zhu Yinluan could see the man's handsome face by lowering her eyes.
Even so, I still looked into his eyes.
How could he...
Zhu Yinluan felt that something was wrong.
Logically speaking, after marriage, she and Shen Jingzhan should respect each other and keep to themselves unless necessary.
But now he kept getting closer to her, making her heart beat faster, and the thin fingers between them couldn't help but curl up.
Such a situation... is simply flirting.
"what you do?"
Her eyes were turned to the left, and her long and thick eyelashes were trembling, which made her very attractive.
"I want to see if Luan'er is angry."
"I'm not angry," she replied.
"If you're not angry, why do you look so bad?"
"No, you saw it wrong." Zhu Yinluan denied.
It’s really too close.
As he spoke, the breath he exhaled hit the side of her face and neck, making her feel itchy and hot.
Zhu Yinluan recalled the night when he leaned over and whispered in her ear. It was so sexy that it made her heart go weak in the knees.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but bite her lips lightly.
This was her subconscious action, but Shen Jingzhan's eyes moved to her lips.
His gaze was too intense.
She couldn't help but feel her heartbeat quicken.
Zhu Yinluan felt that she could no longer control herself, so she began to resist, "If you have anything to say, just say it nicely, and don't get so close to me."
She turned sideways and said she wanted to go out.
Shen Jingzhan turned a deaf ear to him, and Zhu Yinluan began to pry his hands apart, trying to get out.
The man was so strong that she couldn't pry his hands open.
Instead, he watched her fiddling with his wrist with great interest.
Zhu Yinluan did try hard, but she didn't know why Shen Jingzhan's hand didn't move at all.
Unable to pry it open, Zhu Yinluan didn't want to continue being trapped in this small space, lest it make her panic worse, so she crouched down and tried to sneak out.
Shen Jingzhan noticed her intention, and he closed his other big hand, holding her waist and picking her up.
Zhu Yinluan was startled by the sudden leap into the air. Fearing that she would fall, she unconsciously hugged Shen Jingzhan's neck.
Looking down from above, through the man's eyes, she saw herself in a panic.
Shen Jingzhan hugged her waist, gently comforted her not to be afraid, and said he would definitely not let her fall.
His shoulders were broad and his arms were strong, so it was easy for him to pick her up. She didn't have to worry about him losing balance and dropping her to the ground.
I thought Shen Jingzhan was going to do something, but he didn't.
He carried her to the round stool and said, "Let's eat."
Zhu Yinluan, "..."
She really couldn't figure out what Shen Jingzhan meant, so she could only follow his instructions and eat.
Halfway through eating, the man spoke up, "Luan'er, are you really not angry that I was lenient to the Zhu family?"
angry?
There is indeed a little bit, but it is not the anger towards Shen Jingzhan, but the Zhu family.
She hated Madam Zhu and Lord Zhu for their greed, and for currying favor with the powerful whenever there was a profit to be made, without any regard for their dignity.
"I didn't." Zhu Yinluan ate slower and slower, and she couldn't help but poke the crispy taro in the bowl with her silver chopsticks.
"But when I look at Luan'er, she seems angry."
"If you are really annoyed that I helped the Shen family get promoted, you can say it clearly. It's okay to scold me a few words."
Even Old Mrs. Shen didn't dare to say anything to him, so how could she scold him?
Zhu Yinluan couldn't help but look over.
Chen Jingzhan picked up a new piece of crispy taro with meat for her, "What's the matter? Are you afraid that I will talk back at you, Luan'er?"
He was clearly speaking in a friendly manner, and there was no ambiguity on his face, but why did she suddenly think of what happened on the bed?
Zhu Yinluan picked up the tea that came with the rice and took a sip, "…You don't know how to do that?"
"If it were someone else, I would do that, but not Luan'er." The man's tone was very calm.
"I am indeed a little angry, but not at you, but... at Zhu's family."
"They were the ones who kicked me out in the first place. How dare they come looking for you now?"
When Zhu Yinluan thought of her heartless and selfish father, she lost her appetite.
"…My mother-in-law came to me today and said a few words to me."
"What did mother say?" Shen Jingzhan asked.
"Husband, don't you know what my mother-in-law said to me?" He is very intelligent, almost like a demon, and he can understand people's hearts. How could he not guess?
"I have a vague guess." The man said modestly, with a smile on his face.
He even tilted his head slightly, showing her a rare and charming and unrestrained look.
"But I would rather hear Luan'er tell me on her own initiative."
He liked listening to her talk, no matter what she said, it made him feel that she was real by his side.
Here it comes again, that sticky feeling...
Zhu Yinluan's eyes were stunned unconsciously. When she heard the words, she couldn't help but clench her silver chopsticks.
Looking at the handsome face of the man, she suppressed the turmoil in her heart when she looked into his eyes, and forced herself to stare at the food in the bowl.
"…My mother-in-law said that you promoted the official positions of the Zhu family and let Zhu Mingsheng enter the Jixian Hall of the Three Provinces as a scholar. She asked me if I knew about this matter and whether I had persuaded you…"
Zhu Yinluan recounted in detail the conversation she had with Mrs. Shen today.
After she finished speaking, she asked Shen Jingzhan, “So why on earth did you want to give official positions to the people of the Zhu family?”
"Aren't you afraid?"
"What are you afraid of?" the man still asked.
Zhu Yinluan didn't care whether he knew it or not, and pointed it out directly, "Are you worried that others will impeach you for favoritism and abuse of power? What will you do if you are implicated?"
Shen Jingzhan didn’t speak for the time being.
Zhu Yinluan was afraid that Shen Jingzhan would be angry, so she softened her voice and continued,
"I know you treat me well, and you support the Zhu family to give me face, but the Zhu family is greedy by nature. If they are really impeached in the future and it comes to a lawsuit, they might even step on you and won't remember your kindness at all, so I don't want you to do this."
"I beg you..." Zhu Yinluan bit her lip. "Let's not get involved in the Zhu family's affairs anymore, okay?"
"If Madam Zhu and Lord Zhu come to see you again, just refuse them and don't meet them again. Don't have anything to do with the Zhu family anymore."
The meat-fried taro that Shen Jingzhan had just brought over had not been eaten yet. It was poked a little rotten by her while she was talking, which was enough to show her inner torment.
"There are some things about government affairs that I cannot reveal for the time being, but... Luan'er, trust me. I know how to act appropriately and I know when to advance and retreat. I will not put myself in danger."
"But..." Zhu Yinluan choked up, and after a while she spoke softly, "I know you are very capable, but I am still worried."
"I can tell Luan'er that the game has already begun, and I'm not the only one playing chess, so I can't stop it rashly."
"But don't worry, I will keep you safe no matter what." He said, "This is also the promise I made when I married you."
"What about you?" she asked back, "You keep me safe, but what about you? Not just you, but also so many people in the Shen family, including my mother-in-law, my grandmother, and my father-in-law. Their safety is very important."
She didn't want anyone in the Shen family to get into trouble because of her.
Listen to what the person in front of you says and look at her face.
Shen Jingzhan couldn't help but sigh, "Luan'er...you haven't changed at all."
Just as soft and kind as before.
"…What?"
She felt that Shen Jingzhan's words were so strange that she didn't understand why. What did he mean by "she hasn't changed at all"? He said this sentence as if she and he had known each other for a long time.
"nothing."
Shen Jingzhan said that she hadn't changed much since she first met her, and she still remembered that the first time he met her, the Shen family's carriage broke down and he was delayed for a long time, but she was not angry.
"Luan'er is gentle and kind, always putting herself in other people's shoes."
Talking about this matter carefully, he suddenly praised her.
The embarrassment on her face gradually suppressed the strangeness in her heart. Zhu Yinluan said, "…I'm not as good as you say."
Shen Jingzhan said yes, Zhu Yinluan wanted to refute it again, but he got back to business.
"As for mother, I will tell father so that she doesn't have to worry. Is that okay with you, Luan'er?"
Zhu Yinluan felt that after all the talk, Shen Jingzhan was still the same as before, asking him to handle it.
Her arms were no match for her thighs, and she felt helpless. "Now that you've said that, what else can I do?"
He smiled.
After dinner, Shen Jingzhan went to the study.
When they just got married, they said they would have time to rest, but now he is very busy. When Zhu Yinluan came out of the shower, she saw him still working at his desk in the study, with a pile of memorials beside him.
"What is this?" She saw a large brocade box on the round table.
"I was just about to tell you, this was sent by the prince's attendant, saying it was a gift for Miss Kouyu."
Speaking of this matter, Shen Jingzhan had already prepared the gift she wanted to give, but she had not yet cut the gift she agreed to exchange with him.
Zhu Yinluan hadn't thought about what to give to Shen Jingzhan, but Jiaohui suggested that they make some clothes for him, saying that the family had just sent some new fabrics and it was just in time.
She thought about it and had no better ideas, so she nodded.
But the clothes are made slowly, and I have only just cut out the pattern. It will take a few more days to finish them and send them out.
"What a beautiful jade whip!" Jiaohui opened the brocade box, and Mingya couldn't help but sigh.
Zhu Yinluan also felt her eyes brighten.
The whip in the box is shiny and translucent all over, the whip body is as shiny and silver as a dragon's tail, and the whip handle is made of Hetian jade, carved into the shape of a fluttering butterfly. The workmanship is exquisite and it makes people feel stunning and precious at first sight.
Shen Jingzhan was right, his little sister's preferences were indeed different from those of ordinary girls.
Even though she knew that she was going to give Chen Kou a jade whip, Zhu Yinluan asked herself if she could get someone to make it in such a short time.
"Put it away carefully first." She urged not to make any mistakes.
Shen Jingzhan's sister will be returning home tomorrow.
Today at Madam Shen's place, the housekeeper came to report that many of Shen Kouyu's favorite dishes would be prepared for her to welcome her tomorrow.
When she thought of this sister-in-law whom she had never met before, Zhu Yinluan started to get nervous again.
If Chen Kouyu is not easy to get along with...
I just hope she won’t be as cunning and difficult to deal with as Wei Qingsi, the eldest sister-in-law of the Wei family.
“…”
Inside the study, Shen Jingzhan reviewed the imperial edict presented by the Secretary of the Central Secretariat, and made revisions after careful consideration. Some of the contents were simply hilarious.
It seems that with the palace examination paper leak as an excuse and the Zhu family as bait, many people are ready to make a move.
After the general review was completed, the attendant reported to Shen Jingzhan that Wei Ruzhuo had already started to seek medical advice from the imperial physician through the Minister of the Chancellery.
"It seems that he doesn't believe what the doctor said." Shen Jingzhan flipped through the booklet and smiled sarcastically.
"Yes." said the follower.
"He didn't do well the task that the Minister of Rites entrusted to Wei Ruzhuo this time. As for finding an imperial physician, the Shangshu Mansion may not be able to help him recommend one."
"Since he wants to know the truth so much, let's help him." Shen Jingzhan closed the last book of edicts.
His subordinate said, "Yes."
Tonight, Zhu Yinluan discovered that not long after she and Shen Jingzhan lay down, Madam Shen sent someone over again.
She looked at Shen Jingzhan. In such a short time, he should not have fallen asleep, right?
So, do you want to have sex?
While Zhu Yinluan was feeling anxious, the man next to her opened his eyes, turned around, and said, "Luan'er."
He moved faster than her, easing her nervousness and anxiety.
"Yeah." She responded softly.
"Luan'er, do you still feel pain?" he asked her.
Listening to Shen Jingzhan's meaning, if it doesn't hurt, then we should have sex?
"Luan'er, there's no need to hide it. If it still hurts, just tell me directly."
Zhu Yinluan pursed her lips, "...It doesn't hurt, just my waist is sore, but not too sore."
He has always been very gentle. Apart from the fact that his power was too strong and dangerous for her to bear, Zhu Yinluan didn't think there was anything wrong with it.
Besides, he applied medicine to her every day.
I don't know where the medicine came from, but it is very effective. The traces left yesterday have basically disappeared today.
"Then let's have a good rest today." Shen Jingzhan lifted the quilt for her.
"Are you going to ignore the people sent by the mother-in-law?"
Zhu Yinluan thought, Mrs. Shen sent the old lady here not just to eavesdrop on whether the two were having sex, right?
I'm afraid I need to find out whether there is any conflict between her and Shen Jingzhan because of the Zhu family's affairs?
Zhu Yinluan only dared to guess in her heart and did not say it out loud.
"How does Luan'er want to manage it?" Shen Jingzhan asked.
"I……"
"Otherwise, I'll ask someone to drive them away?" Shen Jingzhan seemed to be about to stand up when he said this.
Really afraid that he would do that, Zhu Yinluan hurriedly grabbed his wrist, but after pulling it up, she realized that Shen Jingzhan had no intention of doing that at all. He just moved his body and had no intention of getting up to chase people away.
Zhu Yinluan was very embarrassed, she let go of Shen Jingzhan's wrist as if she was burned.
But at this moment he caught her and took her over.
The man moved very quickly, and Zhu Yinluan didn't even know when the quilt was opened.
Anyway, she was dragged over and fell into Shen Jingzhan’s arms.
I touched the man's warm and broad chest, which was hard to ignore even through his shirt.
She started to panic again.
Zhu Yinluan didn't know what she was so panicking about.
Obviously, she had already had real physical intimacy with Shen Jingzhan, and they were extremely intimate.
But every time he approached her and touched her, she would become extremely nervous and embarrassed.
For example, at this moment, being held by him.
In the quiet darkness, she felt her heartbeat more and more.
She was always worried, but unexpectedly Shen Jingzhan did nothing.
He put his arms around her waist and pulled the quilt over them to cover them both.
A gentle voice fell from above the man's head, with a soothing tone without any lust, "Go to sleep."
Zhu Yinluan, "..."
Is he comforting her?
Smelling the man's fresh breath and nestling in his warm and broad chest, Zhu Yinluan gradually fell asleep while she was lost in thought.
Unexpectedly, she started dreaming again.
This time, the dream seemed to be a farewell.
On a rainy night, the weather was gloomy and the atmosphere was depressing.
The person in the dream could not be seen clearly, but he was tall and stood in front of her, his shadow looming over her.
Should she be talking?
She said, "We have different identities... This shouldn't happen. Just treat it as an accident, a dream."
"You...you should just leave and pretend nothing happened."
She was the one chasing people away?
The other party seemed unwilling to leave and just stood there.
She said a few more words, and seeing that he still didn't respond, she didn't want to stand with him in the rain anymore, and just raised her foot to pass by him.
Originally, when she raised her foot, the other party didn't move, but when they passed by each other.
The man suddenly moved, grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms.
"Let me go!"
The man in the dream was so tall that when she looked up she could only see his chin. She struggled violently in his arms, but she couldn't break free from his embrace.
Instead, he turned her around, pinched her chin and forcefully kissed her, blocking out all her words.
His kiss was so strong and overbearing that she couldn't move even if she wanted to. She was completely controlled by him and endured his kiss.
I don't know how long it took, but the rain seemed to be getting lighter.
She was kissed so hard that her hands and legs became weak and she had no strength left.
The whole person was gasping for breath.
The man's arms were wrapped tightly around her waist, as solid as a wall of iron.
He leaned over to her ear, his voice deep and hoarse, yet dangerous and dark.
"Luan'er, stop dreaming. I will never let you go."
When the man's words penetrated deeply into his ears.
She struggled violently in her dream, and because of her excessive reaction, she woke herself up.
Zhu Yinluan sat up suddenly, she was so frightened that she shook her hands and feet, and it took her a long time to come back to her senses.
When a big hand touched her back and a gentle word "Luan'er" was spoken, she was so scared that she looked up suddenly.
She saw Shen Jingzhan’s face.
“…”
The man also sat up, and he withdrew his hand that had been suspended in mid-air after she dodged him, hiding the darkness that flashed by.
When he raised his eyes, his outpouring of emotions was completely concealed.
With worry in his eyes, he asked her gently, "What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"
Zhu Yinluan didn’t even know if she was still immersed in a dream and hadn’t woken up?
How come Shen Jingzhan's voice is exactly the same as the man in his dream?
"I'll go get Luan'er a cup of tea. She'll definitely drink it."
Zhu Yinluan never came back to her senses and was still in shock.
After Shen Jingzhan left, she managed to calm her breathing, looked at the surroundings, and gradually realized where she was.
She had another nightmare.
But this time, Zhu Yinluan felt that it was not just a nightmare. She began to wonder if she had encountered something in the past? What did she forget? Did the person in the dream really exist?
She had dreamed of this man more than once. When he was at the Wei family, she could still regard him as a shadow, a shadow derived from her desire to have sex with Wei Ruzhuo and have a child.
But how to explain that it will continue at the Shen family?
The fragmented dreams pieced together are like... bits and pieces of memories.
This time the words spoken by the man in the dream were so clear...
He also called her Luan'er!
Moreover, how come that man’s voice is exactly the same as Shen Jingzhan’s?
What went wrong?
Her eyes unconsciously looked outside. Although the curtains were mostly lifted, there was still a layer of gauze hanging down. The light in the inner room was dim, and she could only see the man's broad and tall back, but not his expression.
To be fair, Shen Jingzhan's back was not much different from the man she often dreamed of.
“…”
The first time she and Shen Jingzhan met was when a carriage collided on the Jingdao Road, but that was not considered a real meeting. The real meeting was when she was in the Shen family pharmacy and almost fell, and he saved her.
That time, he approached...
If she remembered correctly, she also felt familiar with it.
Not just that time, but also several times when she accidentally met Shen Jingzhan and got close to him, she felt like she had seen him before.
This feeling was too weird, and there was no reason to trace it back, so she suppressed it every time and never delved into it further.
Because she had never seen Shen Jingzhan before.
Could it be that something went wrong?
Zhu Yinluan was still staring at the man's back in a daze.
Not far away, Shen Jingzhan, who had his back to her, no longer had a gentle look on his face. He frowned and pondered, tapping the edge of the teacup with his fingertips.
“…”
After a while, the tea cooled down. He suppressed all the emotions on his face, picked up the teacup and walked back.
"Is Luan'er feeling better?"
After Zhu Yinluan drank the tea, the man asked softly.
Zhu Yinluan held the teacup, her fingernails scratching the edge of the cup unconsciously, "Much better..."
"Luan'er always wakes up from nightmares, which really worries me. Should we ask an imperial physician to see her tomorrow?" he discussed with her.
Zhu Yinluan wanted to say no, but then she felt that she should take a look.
After careful consideration, she said, "I was just thinking about the Zhu family's affairs and dreaming about the past, so I was scared. It's nothing serious. If it's still like this after a while, let's see the imperial physician."
Chen Kouyu will return home tomorrow, and it would not be a good idea to seek medical advice at this juncture.
"Are you really okay?" Shen Jingzhan asked worriedly.
Zhu Yinluan nodded, "It's okay."
"Remember to tell me if there is anything." He took the cup from her hand and put it on the small table outside.
"Yeah." Zhu Yinluan nodded.
Now that she had come to her senses, she felt that she was possessed by a ghost again.
Look, Shen Jingzhan is gentle and polite, how could he be the strong man who always bullied her in her dreams.
No.
"It's still early, Luan'er, go and rest." He lowered the curtain, but found that Zhu Yinluan had rolled inside with the quilt, widening the distance between them.
Zhu Yinluan had her back to Shen Jingzhan, but she could still feel his gaze.
The old woman outside must have left, so there is no need to be intimate with her.
She wanted to calm down, but she didn't know how to explain, so she said vaguely, "My husband should rest soon. We have to pick up my sister-in-law tomorrow."
After saying that, she gathered the quilt again.
Seeing this, Shen Jingzhan could be sure that she might... remember something?
The man's handsome face was cold and gloomy, and he responded to her "OK" with the same gentleness as before.
Zhu Yinluan slept lightly in the second half of the night and woke up very early.
The moment Shen Jingzhan stood up, she also turned over and sat up.
The man asked her if she didn't sleep well?
Zhu Yinluan shook her head, unable to think of any excuse for a long time, and could only nod.
"Really don't need to see a doctor?" he asked again, "I'm very worried about Luan'er."
"I'll ask Mingya to make me a calming soup and try it."
She smiled at him.
Facing the man's moon-like eyes, which were clearly gentle and harmless, she felt more and more dizzy. How could Shen Jingzhan be such a scary person?
The man in the dream had been intimate with her. He always penetrated her fiercely and kissed her heavily, as if he wanted to rub her into his bones and blood.
Thinking of this, Zhu Yinluan paused.
She overlooked one thing.
The dangerous "power" that Shen Jingzhan himself possessed seemed to be the same as that of the man in the dream.
But she was only comparing the gentleness of the two people's strength, but forgot the original thing that filled her.
It seems... indeed... it really is...
Same.
“…”
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